The Linguistic Habits of a New Generation

       In the year of 1914 a young girl named Monica Baldwin entered a convent（女修道院）,remaining there until 1941 when she returned to the outer world. During these twenty-eight years wars and revolutions had come and gone in Europe. Her uncle, Stanley Baldwin, had led his country for some time. Technical developments had changed the conditions of everyday life almost beyond recognitions, but all these events had left as a matter of fact untouched the small religious community to which she had belonged. In 1949 Miss Baldwin published her impressions of those bewildering（令人困惑的）years of her return to a world in which the motorcar had replaced the horse and carriage and where respectable women showed their legs and painted their faces.

       Yet it was not only these odd sights that surprised her, for she was more puzzled by what she heard. During a railway journey the term “luggage in advance” meant nothing to her, so in desperation she asked the porter to do as he thought best. Reading the newspapers made her feel very stupid, because the writers of reviews and leading articles used words and phrases such as Jazz, Hollywood, Cocktail and Isolationism. These and many others were quite incomprehensible to Miss Baldwin, who was really bewildered when friends said: “It’s your funeral or Believe it or not.” This is a rare and valuable reminder to the rest of us that the English language does not stand still. All language changes over a period of time for reasons which are imperfectly understood. Or rather since speech is really a form of human activity, it is more exact to say that each successive generation behaves linguistically in a slightly different manner from its predecessors（前辈，祖先）. In his teens the young man likes to show how up-to-date he is by the use of the latest slang（俚语）, but as the years go by some of his slang becomes standard usage and in any case he slowly grows less receptive（乐于接受的）to linguistic novelties（新颖，新奇）,so that by the time he reaches his forties he will probably be unware that some of the expressions and pronunciations now being used were frowned upon by his own parents. In this respect language is a little like fashions in people’s dress. The informal clothes of one generation become the everyday wear of the next, and just as young doctors and bank clerks nowadays go about their business in sports jackets, they are allowed into their normal vocabulary expressions which were once limited to slang and familiar conversation.

71．Miss Baldwin found the world totally changed because          .

       A．she had worked for a religious community for a long time

       B．she had been cut off from the rest of the world for many years

       C．the community where she lived had been in war for many years

       D．there had been too many technical developments

72．During a railway journey Miss Baldwin          .

       A．found the porter’s words hard to understand

       B．found her luggage too heavy to carry

       C．did not know how to talk with the porter

       D．had to ask the porter to look after her luggage

73．Young people like to use the latest slang because          .

       A．they feel it is easier to use

       B．they believe it will soon become standard usage

       C．they want to show they have caught up with the time

       D．they find it more powerful in expressing feelings

74．Miss Baldwin’s experience shows us that          .

       A．the English language has not changed much

       B．the English language has entirely changed

       C．language doesn’t change at all in the religious world

       D．language changes with the passage of time

75．By the time a man is forty, he will          .

       A．be speaking the same language as his parents do

       B．have changed his way of speaking

       C．not use the slang he liked to use when young

       D．be using less new slang in speech and writing

The Linguistic Habits of a New Generation

       In the year of 1914 a young girl named Monica Baldwin entered a convent（女修道院）,remaining there until 1941 when she returned to the outer world. During these twenty-eight years wars and revolutions had come and gone in Europe. Her uncle, Stanley Baldwin, had led his country for some time. Technical developments had changed the conditions of everyday life almost beyond recognitions, but all these events had left as a matter of fact untouched the small religious community to which she had belonged. In 1949 Miss Baldwin published her impressions of those bewildering（令人困惑的）years of her return to a world in which the motorcar had replaced the horse and carriage and where respectable women showed their legs and painted their faces.

       Yet it was not only these odd sights that surprised her, for she was more puzzled by what she heard. During a railway journey the term “luggage in advance” meant nothing to her, so in desperation she asked the porter to do as he thought best. Reading the newspapers made her feel very stupid, because the writers of reviews and leading articles used words and phrases such as Jazz, Hollywood, Cocktail and Isolationism. These and many others were quite incomprehensible to Miss Baldwin, who was really bewildered when friends said: “It’s your funeral or Believe it or not.” This is a rare and valuable reminder to the rest of us that the English language does not stand still. All language changes over a period of time for reasons which are imperfectly understood. Or rather since speech is really a form of human activity, it is more exact to say that each successive generation behaves linguistically in a slightly different manner from its predecessors（前辈，祖先）. In his teens the young man likes to show how up-to-date he is by the use of the latest slang（俚语）, but as the years go by some of his slang becomes standard usage and in any case he slowly grows less receptive（乐于接受的）to linguistic novelties（新颖，新奇）,so that by the time he reaches his forties he will probably be unware that some of the expressions and pronunciations now being used were frowned upon by his own parents. In this respect language is a little like fashions in people’s dress. The informal clothes of one generation become the everyday wear of the next, and just as young doctors and bank clerks nowadays go about their business in sports jackets, they are allowed into their normal vocabulary expressions which were once limited to slang and familiar conversation.

1．Miss Baldwin found the world totally changed because          .

       A．she had worked for a religious community for a long time

       B．she had been cut off from the rest of the world for many years

       C．the community where she lived had been in war for many years

       D．there had been too many technical developments

2．During a railway journey Miss Baldwin          .

       A．found the porter’s words hard to understand

       B．found her luggage too heavy to carry

       C．did not know how to talk with the porter

       D．had to ask the porter to look after her luggage

3．Young people like to use the latest slang because          .

       A．they feel it is easier to use

       B．they believe it will soon become standard usage

       C．they want to show they have caught up with the time

       D．they find it more powerful in expressing feelings

4．Miss Baldwin’s experience shows us that          .

       A．the English language has not changed much

       B．the English language has entirely changed

       C．language doesn’t change at all in the religious world

       D．language changes with the passage of time

5．By the time a man is forty, he will          .

       A．be speaking the same language as his parents do

       B．have changed his way of speaking

       C．not use the slang he liked to use when young

       D．be using less new slang in speech and writing

A report on a new software that enables eyes to do the typing appears in Wednesday’s edition of the journal Nature. Replacing a keyboard or mouse, eye-scanning-cameras mounted on computers have become necessary tools for people without limbs or those affected with paralysis. The camera tracks the movement of the eye, allowing users to “type” on a virtual keyboard as they look at the screen. And now, researchers from the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University say they have developed software that replaces the standard QWERTY keyboard layout with one that is nearly twice as efficient, more accurate and easier on the eyes. Called Dasher, the prototype program looks into the natural gaze of the eye and makes predictable words and phrases simpler to write. Any off-the-shelf camera capable of scanning eye movement can be used with Dasher, though the person must sit fairly still during the interaction.

  The letters of the alphabet appear in a single column on the right of the screen, with an underline symbol to represent a space. Each letter is framed by a colored box. As the user looks at a particular letter on the right side of the screen and drags it to the left with their eye, another sub-alphabet column begins to emerge inside the box on the right-hand side, along with more letters framed in colored boxes. Dasher is designed to anticipate which letter will be needed, so although the successive sub-alphabet columns are initially very small, the letters or combination of letters that appear are most likely to be used next in that sequence. For example, if a person starts with the letter “h”, the language models in Dasher will bring up “a” “e” “i” “o” and “u” in the sub-alphabet box, along with a few other possible combinations like “ello” to form the word “hello”. Each box has a complete alphabet within it, though the first letters to appear have the highest probability of usage. The letters are then placed together to form a sentence on the left side of the screen.

  Researchers say people will be able to write up to 25 words per minute with Dasher compared to on-screen keyboards, which they say average about 15 words per minute. With a bit of practice, MacKay said, Dasher offers an easier and more satisfying way for disabled people to communicate, providing them with better tools to write e-mail or create word processor files. Mackay said Dasher could work in most languages.

72. With the new software Dasher, people can type with their eyes through_____.

A. a computer screen with eye-scanning sensors

　　B. an eye-scanning camera on computer

　　C. a colored box attached to the computer

　　D. a regular keyboard with sensors

73. The new method of typing will most benefit those people who___________ .

A. have reading difficulties     B are visually incompetent

　　C. are physically challenged.   D. do not have a big vocabulary

74. The software Dasher_______________ .

　　A. is able to predict the next sequence of words the user is going to write

　　B. can form coherent sentences based on the first word typed in by the user

    C. has to be used with eye-scanning cameras specially designed for the 

software

　　D. does not allow the user to move a lot during the interaction

75. Which of the following is true about Dasher?

　　A. It can be used to write ten more words than on screen keyboard per minute.

　　B. It is easier to use than ordinary keyboards.

　　C. It can provide hints for possible sentences to be written.

　　D. It is an independent text processor.

Read the following text and choose the most suitable heading from A-F for each paragraph. There is one extra heading which you do not need.

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You’re probably most familiar with college dictionaries, often called abridged dictionaries. Although abridged means “shortened”, these dictionaries contain more than 150.000 entries and provide detailed definitions that are sufficient for most college students and general users. College dictionaries also contain separate lists of abbreviations. Biographical and geographical names, foreign words and phrases. And tables of measures. Webster’s Ⅱ New Riverside University Dictionary and the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language are college dictionaries.

2．                                 

Unabridged dictionaries contain as many as 500,000 entries and provide detailed definitions and extensive word histories （etymologies）. These dictionaries, possibly in several volumes and mostly found in libraries, are excellent sources for scholarly inquiries. Unabridged dictionaries include the Oxford English Dictionary and the Random House Dictionary of the English Language.

3．                                 

A dictionary entry has many elements: multiple definitions, syllabication, preferred spelling and pronunciation （some word have more than one acceptable spelling and pronunciation）, and part-of-speech labels. Some entries also include plurals and capitalized forms. Synonyms, antonyms, and derivatives. Americanisms and etymologies may be provide along with usage notes, cross-references, and idioms.

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If you prefer using the dictionary on a computer, you can obtain CD-ROM versions of many major dictionaries. In addition, you can access numerous dictionaries, such as WWWebster’s Dictionary, on the Internet. Online dictionaries allow you to enter a search word （you even get help with spelling ） to see a definition, and sometimes even an illustration. Online dictionaries also offer additional features, such as word games. Language tips, and amusing facts about words. Some online dictionary services allow you to access numerous dictionaries, both general and specialized, in on search.

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Specialized dictionaries provide in-depth information about a certain field.  For example there are dictionaries for the specialized vocabularies of law, computer technology, and medicine. In addition, there are dictionaries of synonyms, clichés, slang, and even regional expressions. Such as the Dictionary of American Regional English（DARE）. There are also dictionaries of foreign languages, famous people’s names, literary characters’ names and place names.